By Gift Chapi Odekina
The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed for second reading a bill seeking to make the Nigeria Navy University known as Admiralty University a conventional university.
Sponsor of the bill, Rep. Yusuf Adamu Gagdi said the passage of the bill into law will grant the institution full legal status to operate without any hinderance.
Leading a debate on the bill, Gagdi said “this Bill seeks to establish the Admiralty University of Nigeria, Ibusa as conventional university with selected programmes, limited and focused faculties to promote scholarship, research and other means of advancement of knowledge and its practical application to military hardware and software, and provide an opportunity of acquiring a higher and liberal education in Nigeria”.
He said the University will offer courses in military policy, logistics and strategy, basic and applied sciences and arts, engineering, environmental and social sciences, education, agriculture, medical sciences, and any other field of study approved by the Senate of the University.
He said the institution will also provide special training courses whether leading to university distinctions or not for such persons as may be prescribed, conduct research in any field as may be prescribed or directed, arranging conferences, seminars, workshops and like activities and performing any other function as may be conferred on it by Statute.
He said he objective will be to provide facilities for learning and give instruction and training in such branches of knowledge as the University may desire in order to ensure that students obtain the advantage of a higher and liberal education.
It will also promote research and other means of advancement of knowledge and its practical application to military hardware and software, social, cultural, economic, scientific and technological situations, stimulate, particularly through teaching (and research, interest in and appreciation of military policy, logistics and strategy.
It will also encourage and promote scholarship and conduct research in selected fields of learning and human endeavour including entrepreneurship skills, enhance the diffusion of knowledge throughout Nigeria in general and the Nigerian Army in particular; and undertake other activities appropriate for a university.
He appealed to the lawmakers to speedily pass the law establishing the institution which is already in operation, having been granted a license by the National Universities Commission.
